Combined sole and heel for footwear



. oct. 2 7, 192s.

G. SMITH COMBINED SLE AND HEEL FOR FOOTWEAR 'Filed uar'cn 1o, 1925 Patented Oct. 27, 1.925.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l GEORGE SMITH, OF ISJLINGTON, LONDON, ENGLAND. I

COMBINED SOLE AND I- IEEL FOB, FOOTWEAR.

Application led March 10, 1925, Serialy No. 14,494.

[ all whom t may concern.' Figure 1 is a perspective View of a shoe 55 Be it known that I, GEORGE SMITH, a subject of the King of yGrreat Britain and Ireland, and al resident of Islington, county of London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Combined Soles and Heels for Footwear (forV which I have filed an application in England, #228,615, dated Nov. 6, 1923, not yet patented), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates'to the manufacture of resilient soles vfor boots and shoes of the type in which `an intermediate resilient sole or section has a cellular structure to permit of `resilient deformation of the walls of the cells and an outer sole or section covers in the cellular structure of the intermediate sole or section and forms the surface for direct contact with the ground.

According to the invention, the i ate sole, preferably of rubber, is directly sewn to the welt, the stitches passing Y through a fiat flange tround its edge, and its r upper surface is in contact with and may be cemented to the insolefproper or to a'suitable outer layer under the insole and surrounded by the welt. Set back a suitable distance from the edge on the underside of the intermediate sole and projecting therefrom is preferably arranged a rim or wall and inside this again are a series` of cells whose walls may either project from and be formed integrally with the intermediate sole, or may be formed of a series of transverse sections of rubber tube cementedthereto, or the cellular structure, instead of consisting of a series of distinct cells, may be formed by the projection from the surface of the intermediate sole of a series of ref silient studs. The outer sole of rubber or other suitable waterproof resilient material has a projecting rim round its edge on the upper. surface which takes over .the rim and projecting portions on the intermediate sole like a box lid and is attached to the flange of the intermediate sole so as to cover' the stitches and to other parts of the intermedi-- ntermediembodying the invention in one form and' showing the components detached.

Figure 2 is a longitudinaly section of the two components fitted together, section taken approximately through the central longitudinal axis.

Figure 3 is a`view similar to Figure illustrating a modification.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a further modification.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating another modification.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary View in in-` verted plan of a modified form of the underpart.

Figure `7 is a vertical section of a ladys Louis heel to be used conveniently in connection with the invention.

The sole and heel is constructed of two parts, the intermediate sole or section a beingy for direct sewing attachment to the welt, or the like b (Figures 1 and 7), and the other section c (the outer sole) being adapted Ato coverV in the other component a, and to be secured thereto by suitable adhesive.

The intermediate section a, whichis preferably of rubber, rubber fabric or othersuit-' able waterproof material, liesfiatly on the welted boot or the like, conforming to the shape thereof, and is sewn atie around its edge d to the welt or the like b and in contact with the insole designated as or a lining under it. It has soft resilient portions the edge of `the boot welt b. Before the v outer sole c is fitted in such fashion, a coating of adhesive is applied to surfaces which will lie a ainst the intermediate section ai. The'exterior face of the outer sole may be 'fashioned with a sole-shape tread and a heel (which may be reinforced by nonslip embedded members). Or, in heel-less footwear, the enlargements i need not be employed, andreferringto Figure 2-the bottom of the box-like recess g could terminate atthe dot-and-dash line j and the tread surface at line c.

rlhe projecting cellular or resilient parts '5 and 7, or may be of sponge rubber (Figure 4) or other soft springy material. Or they may be constituted by an area or block of nipple-like studs (Figure 6). The studs, reticulations, sponge-rubber, or other forms may be bounded, if desired, by a rim such as Z (Figures l, 2, 5 and 6), or such a rim may be omitted, as is shown clearly by the heel projection f in Figure l.

For the purpose of supplying rigidity to the projecting resilient parts, as, for instance, at the heel (Where the increased depth may otherwise result in too great a flexibility to the heel as a Whole), a reinforcement can be furnished. In one form of this modification the resilient projection of the intermediate section 0L is formed as a holloWrbox opening on that face ofthe said section which is to be secured to the Welt or the like. The cavity of said box is filled with a block or core lm, of suitable light` rigid material, as, for example, Wood, vulcanized fibre and so forth, (Figure 7), or

a hollow aluminium box or equivalent (Figure 6). The exterior of such projecting box, which lits into the recess g aforesaid formed in the outer sole 0, is formed to a limited degree With'the resilient means or cushion f as Will be seen in Figures 5 and 7. For example, the vertical Wall may be lain but the base constructed in the celular, sponge or other fashion for a requisite depth. It Will be obvious that the same purpose will be served if the projecting resilient portion is not box-like With a stiff core as illustrated,but integrally formed las a very hard vulcanized or other projection with the sole, heel vand Waist, and interlocks with a corresponding recess in the outer sole.

-Or, as a further modification, the projecting parts may be located on the sole, Waist, and heel or other portion, not necessarily being restricted to two in number as illustrated in the drawings.

As a further form, more recesses g may be employed in the outer sole c than there are projecting parts f from the inner sole 0, so that a plain pneumatic chamber is presented Whenthe parts are assembled, as, for instance, at the Waist, or at the half-sole as seen in Figure 3.

ln a boot or shoe, the combination with the insole and the Welt, of a sole unit including a full length outer Wear section having separate ball and heel recesses, an intermediate section adapted to lie next to the insole and the Welt and secured to the latter at its edges, said intermediate section having spaced b all and heel cushion elements carried by the bottom face thereof and adapted to fit in said recesses of the outer wear section, and means for connecting the outer Wear section and the intermediate l section carried by the welt.

. ln testimony whereof I have aixed my signature'hereto this 27th day of February, 1925.

esoneri SMITH. i 

